


Cake is Better

by GhostGarrison



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Asexual Castiel, Asexual Character, Asexual Sam, Asexuality, Friendship/Love, M/M, Pride Parade
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-20
Updated: 2015-01-20
Packaged: 2018-03-08 10:02:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3205181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GhostGarrison/pseuds/GhostGarrison
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam Winchester doesn't know anyone else who is asexual so going to the Pride Parade sounds like the perfect idea to meet other people. However, he feels rather alienated by the scene until he meets another asexual person named Castiel</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cake is Better

Sam thought it would be fun.

He'd always heard Pride was a blast--where one could meet people, make friends, and rally together behind being queer in a rather anti-queer world, being proud in identities of any sort.  It came well recommended by the people in his school's QSA, and Sam knows a number of them will be here, despite it being summer break.

But already he's kind of bored. It's hot out, and Sam isn't one to walk around shirtless like many attendees have chosen to do, so he's slightly sweating in the humidity of the Californian afternoon. After buying a few independently published books from the Pride Book Fair, he's catching the latter half of the parade, watching a stream of never-ending rainbow clad people smile and have a good time down the streets. It makes Sam happy to see all these people proud of who they are, ignoring all the shitty protestors that are mixed in, but he couldn't help but to feel slightly alienated by it all.

Sam bears no bold colorful gear, nothing denoting his own personal pride except a tiny circular pin on his button up shirt's collar--not rainbow, but purple, white, gray, and black.

He's asexual, and unfortunately still struggling to build a confidence about it like most of the people here are displaying. He's quiet about this piece of his identity, only out to most of the QSA, his few friends in his department, and his older brother Dean.

The Pride is both exhilarating and disappointing. The energy of the crowd is great, but the emphasis on sex and outright full-blown sexuality makes Sam uncomfortable. For an event that boasts being inclusive of any and all queer identities, Sam feels like his own is pushed off to the side, brushed under the rug. Everything is about sex, it's about not feeling guilty or bad about who you're attracted to, and it's giving Sam a headache.

Yep, he's an asexual in an overtly sexualized community.

Sam stands on the side of the street, watching the rest of the parade file through the city. Different movements and organizations come by with banners and flags, cheering and chanting and dancing to music. His eyes track through the people walking, through the people standing on the other side of the street, searching desperately for something a little less rainbow and a little more purple and desaturated.

He sees none, but instead a sea of other color combinations--bisexual, pansexual, trans, genderqueer, and more. However, a fellow QSA member named Sarah stands on the other side of the street and briefly waves at him, smiling with with rainbow flags adorning her cheeks.

Sam's not exactly sure why he's looking for strangers, anyone wearing his flag's colors or something denoting their lack of sexual attraction--a black ring, a witty tee shirt, anything at all. He's terrible talking to strangers, but that's the whole reason he journeyed to Pride, to find people like himself.

Finally deciding that he won't be seeing any more of what he's looking for, Sam figures that he'd rather just walk around instead, possibly hit up the Book Fair again or go listen to a speaker or two somewhere, maybe get an early dinner before leaving to go back to Palo Alto by bus. He came for the experience--so he came, he saw, he experienced the broad community that he is a part of, the pride that is shared.

"I like your pin," says a gruff voice beside him just as he spins to leave.

Sam comes to a halt, seeing a shorter man with dark messy hair and bright blue eyes star up at him. It takes him a moment to remember that he's wearing his asexual pin in the first place, but when he realizes it, there's a surge of something from deep in his heart. This stranger recognized his flag.

In fact, upon closer inspection, Sam notices that said stranger is wearing an asexual pride pin himself, a metal spade with the fading gradient of purple, white, gray, and black in the center. He can't help but smile as he sees the black ring on the man's hand, gripping his messenger bag strap over his shoulder.

"I take it you're asexual?" the man asks politely. Sam nods dumbly, mostly at the fact that he's found someone that he shares part of his identity with. "That's wonderful to hear."

"There's not a lot of us out here," Sam states dolefully, glancing around again at all the bright colors, none of which match his own.

"Oh, we're here alright, but not in the same numbers as everyone else," the man assures him. "My name is Castiel, so now you know at least one ace at Pride."

Sam blinks. It's almost like Castiel knew he was looking for people like them all day, and how relieved he feels about finally finding someone. "I'm Sam."

"There's a cake shop a few blocks away," Castiel says with a gentle smile, revealing white teeth between chapped lips, "That is, if you indulge in those kinds of stereotypes. A group of us usually go there for an afternoon treat after the parade. Would you like to join?"

Sam considers it for a moment, but he realizes that it would be dumb to decline hanging out with someone of his own rare orientation at Pride, especially when he's spent all day looking for someone like Castiel.

"Cake is never a bad idea," Sam returns, a smile gracing his face that comes straight from his heart. "Lead the way."

The cake is good, but the company is better. The small group is cheerful, laughing and joking with each other as it seems they all are good friends. Castiel eats his chocolate cake silently in comparison to the rest of the people, who are chatting excitedly about the day's events. How did Sam miss all these people--dressed in purple plaids and asexual flags and spades--during his day-long search?

"Do you like your cake?" Castiel asks, giving Sam some personal attention with casual conversation.

"Yeah, it's pretty amazing," Sam comments, licking the frosting off his fork. "Well, of course it's better than anything I could make. Any sweets I eat are out of a box."

Castiel nods in agreement, scraping some chocolate from the top of his cake slice. "What flavor did you get?"

"Red velvet."

"Oh god, red velvet is the best," says a girl from across the table, waving her fork loaded with a large chunk of red cake back and forth. "Their cream cheese icing is to die for."

Sam agrees, taking another bite of his cake. Castiel leans forward, towards him and asks, "So, is it?"

"Is what?" Sam asks, lips still around the plastic of his fork.

"Is the cream cheese icing 'to die for'?"

Sam looks down at his cake before looking over to the guy, hesitating a moment before pushing the plate across the tiny cafe table. "Try for yourself."

It's a little more forward than he's ever been, sharing food with someone he's only just met a few hours earlier, but Castiel is unbelievably kind and charming in a weird sort of way.

Castiel wipes his own fork on his paper napkin before hesitantly reaching out, catching a corner with his fork to get both icing and spongy cake. Sam grins at the look of pure delight when the cake reaches his mouth.

"That is good."

"'To die for'?" Sam asks.

"Well, I'm not exactly inclined to die for some icing," Castiel says, glancing over to the girl who commented on it previously, who flashes them a smirk. "But it's pretty close to that."

They leave the cake shop hours later, after lots of chatter and a few deep conversations that Sam took pleasure in taking part in. The group stands in front of the store, saying their goodbyes with hugs and laughter before parting to wherever they lay their heads at night.

Sam isn't comfortable hugging anyone, at least not yet, but Castiel ensures to shake his hand with another warming smile. Icing-girl gives him a thumbs up, to which Sam returns the gesture with a strange look before turning away to leave.

"Sam," Castiel says, softly calling out to him just as he takes the first few steps towards the street with the proper bus stop. "Maybe... maybe you'd like to come down here again, for cake... and to talk?"

Heat lightly rises in Sam's cheeks, not knowing exactly what to say at first. "Sure, I'd love to."

**Author's Note:**

> for Asexual Supernatural Week on Tumblr  
> find me there @ GhostGarrison


End file.
